Encephalits —– Chamki Fever

Toll of outbreak of Encephalitis in Bihar is rising day by day. People consider litchi as one of the reason to this. The situation is so worse that the entire region of Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, Banka and Vaishali has been declared endemic.

Let us read more about what this Encephalitis is and how can this be prevented.

Encephalitis is inflammation of brain caused mostly by viral infections. Layers of tissues/membranes covering the brain get inflamated. This affects the central nervous system and hampers the neurological functions. This can also be defined as inflammation of brain. It occurs when a virus directly infects the brain or when a virus vaccine or something else triggers inflammations.

Causes

• Either by an infection invading the brain or through the immune system attacking the brain.
• Viruses like herpes virus, enteroviruses, west Nile, Japanese encephalitis, Eastern equine viruses, tick-borne virus.

Symptoms

• High fever
• Vomiting
• Headache
• Sensitivity to light
• Confusion
• Stiff neck and back
• Nausea
• Personality change
• Problems with speech or hearing
• Hallucinations
• Memory loss
• Drowsiness
• In severe cases seizure, paralysis and comma

Precautions

1. Avoid contacts with the virus
2. Practice good hygiene.
3. Get recommended vaccinations
4. Protect against mosquitoes
5. Children below age group of 9 months should be given vaccination of  Japanese encephalitis

Treatment

1. Mild encephalitis can be treated usually by bed rest and plenty of fluid intake
2. Viral encephalitis can be treated by using antiviral medications
3. Sever encephalitis requires doctor’s attention and anti-inflammatory drugs
4. Serious complications might need physical, occupational speech and psychological therapies.